Pentecost Sermon

 

Pentecost – May 22^nd and 23^rd, 2021 – John 14

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +

      The Holy Spirit has an incredibly important job, although it's a job that we probably don't think all that highly of, certainly not like we ought. In fact, sometimes Lutherans will be told by other folks that we don't focus enough on the power of the Holy Spirit, all the wild and amazing things that He can do – that we should be talking up the Holy Spirit every chance we get. And, I suppose there's a point to that, but the problem is when we start thinking in terms of power and possibilities we can go off into wild flights of fancy and get distracted from the utterly profound and mysterious wonder of what the Holy Spirit actually does. The Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, has the most amazing task and job, the most amazing impact upon your life. He gets to work... with words.

      Words. Specifically the Word of God, but words. If I were to ask you to write a list of the most awesome, profound things in human existence, how many other things would you have put before you got to “words”? This is perhaps why folks want to focus on fire or earth shaking wind, things that seem powerful or unusual, but there are few things more profound than words. And as Jesus teaches us, the Holy Spirit is in charge of the Word, how you hear the Word of God and how you speak the Word of God. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you.

      Do you realize how drastically important this is? That the Holy Spirit teaches, that He brings Jesus' Word to your remembrance? I want you to think about something for a moment. How many words did you hear in the past week? How many words were there shouting for your attention? And not just conversation – how many words did you hear on the TV and radio? How many did you read? How many billboards did you see, how many advertisements? How many people were trying to teach you and instruct you about what you need to do and how you need to act and what you need to believe? We are bombarded by words. And there are some words of wisdom and beauty that we hear, but then some words are down right evil and wicked – you might have had some of those unleashed upon you this week. Most words we come across aim towards a good goal, but they are lost and wayward and have no foundation. They drive at justice, but don't know what justice is. They aim at freedom, but they don't know in Whom we have freedom. They call for order, while adding their own chaos. They speak of love, but instead of service to the other freely given they speak of greedy desires. So many words that miss the mark, that fall short of their target – and the world spirals further and further into the anger and discontent that Satan and his corruption brings. This world is full of twisted words.

And yet, there is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father has given to you – Whom the Father has attached to Jesus' Word. And the Holy Spirit was poured upon you in your Baptism, and the Spirit accompanies the Word of Jesus, and the Spirit works upon you to make you remember Jesus and His Word, even in the midst of all the braying out there. Justice and Righteousness – behold Christ Jesus who obeyed the law completely and who took up all your punishment in your place. The Spirit makes you to remember this. Or freedom – you are free in Christ – it is for freedom you have been set free, return not again to a yoke of slavery. You aren't defined by what they say you must do to fit in or signal what side you are on – you are forgiven and free in Christ Jesus, bound for everlasting life. Or order – God Himself has created a wondrous order, and He has Himself instructed us on how to tend to that order, to tend to each other – indeed, this is love, is service, is charity. Having been forgiven by God we forgive others and strive to be charitable to them – this is how God brings about order and love in His creation – we love because He first loved us and because in utter charity with no worth in us Christ Jesus redeemed us by His death upon the Cross.

     This truth of Jesus is a simple truth. And when the world would distract us and try to have us forget it, to set up idols of our own, the Spirit uses the Word to bring Jesus back to the forefront of our mind. And this truth is a deep truth. And so the Spirit will teach us. Whenever you are in the Word, the Holy Spirit works upon you, teaching, revealing to you what you need to know. It doesn't matter if a text is familiar, if you “know” it – the Spirit teaches it anew. I do not know what points, what aspects of today's texts and sermon and hymns will resonate with you – I don't know what you will see (or rather what the Holy Spirit will reveal, will teach to you). I don't even know for myself – rarely do I end up writing the sermon I intended to write, and often things strike me unexpectedly in service. This is the Spirit at work – teaching us, reminding us of Christ Jesus, each as we need, and it happens when we are in the Word of Jesus. The Spirit accompanies the Word of Jesus with truth and power so that we understand.

      And this is why I would encourage you to be in the Word – not just for an hour on the weekend if you can make it, and not just at bible studies (which are quite fun here, and Jesus has promised that He Himself will be present wherever two or three are gathered in His name). Be in the word. Jesus answered him, 'If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him.” What a fantastic promise from Jesus! What access you have to God Almighty. The Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all promise to be with you, to make their home with you whenever you are keeping, treasuring, tending to Jesus' Word. The Word of Holy Scripture. The thoughts and meditations upon the Scriptures that are the core of our hymns and songs, the ideas the Spirit brings. Even the prayers that you pray – because that is something else the Spirit does – Romans 8 - Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. You don't have to go on some quest to find God – God makes Himself to be found precisely where He has promised – in the Word of Jesus. And the special and unique job of the Holy Spirit is to see that this Word is brought to you and delivered to you and that you hear it, that you receive it.

      And this is the most simple and ordinary thing. Too often when we think of the Holy Spirit acting in power, we think of, we want something dramatic like what we see in Pentecost. Tongues of fire, a mighty rushing winds, speaking in tongues. But that's not the amazing thing. Rather this – And they were amazed and astonished, saying - “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in our own native language?” How is it that we hear – that's the miracle, that's the wonder... and it is the most simple, ordinary thing we hear. Daily you live in God's Word, daily you are directed and guided by the Word and Spirit away from sin and wickedness. Daily you receive the forgiveness of Jesus, for in this Christian Church [the Spirit] daily and richly forgives my sins and the sins of all believers – because that's what the Spirit does with God's Word. And that forgiveness is how the Spirit gives you life – life where you are freed from the constant blather of guilt and shame that are dumped upon you. Life where you are free to forgive and free to be forgiven. Life where you are free to take the gifts you have received from God and to use them in service to your neighbor in accordance with God's Word has He gives you opportunity. Life filled with peace.

      Jesus said, Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Oh, the words of the world so often have strings attached – traps and snares all designed to manipulate you, threats to pull the gifts away from you at the drop of a hat. That's not how the Spirit works God's peace through His Word. Over and over the Spirit takes Jesus' Word and gives you Jesus, gives you access to the Father in prayer, gives you forgiveness and life and salvation – and never based upon what you do, never conditional or hinging upon you. Jesus' Word is secured by Jesus Himself, it hangs upon Christ and Him crucified. It is finished and it is for you.

      There will be many words you hear this week, some important and some quite frivolous. I hope you enjoy them rightly and safely – but know that there are words that are vital, words of vitality and life that you hear – the Words of Jesus. The Holy Spirit brings these to you whenever you cling to and focus upon and keep His Word. God grant you to enjoy His Word this week and be strengthened there by. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.